Posts Tagged ‘computer’

The PaperPalm is so cute! I want to get one for my mom. She could tease my dad with it. Her Palm would be faster, more reliable, lighter, less expensive, and easier to use than his. Ha ha.



The power supply in my computer blew a transistor, so I replaced it. Then I realized that the CPU had been fried, so I replaced that. Then I realized that the motherboard was also fried, so I returned the CPU and power supply, and began seeking out a whole new computer.

I bought a “barebones” computer (just a case, power supply, and motherboard) from Fry’s, a big hard drive, and a cheap CPU, and built myself a new computer. The case was really cool, but one of the components on the motherboard (namely the video card) was apparently not compatible with Windows XP, so the computer kept getting “the blue screen of death.” In retrospect, I think the blue screen wasn’t caused by the incompatible video card, but rather by some kind of electrical issue. Still, I wasn’t going to be able to troubleshoot the problem successfully, so I took apart the computer and returned it to Fry’s. Did I mention how much I love Fry’s return policy? Well, I do.

Then I went over to Micro Center to look at pr

12:27 pm Comments Off on I’m Starting To Understand the Benefits of Being Amish


Don’t ever let anyone tell you that Microsoft lacks support for its products.

The Microsoft Knowledge Base, a searchable database of problems and solutions in Microsoft products, can help you with even the most complex issues that may arise while using Microsoft software.

Meanwhile, the automated service known as Windows Update keeps your computer running in top condition by installing important software updates for issues found in your version of Windows.

Yea Microsoft!

9:50 am Comments Off on Microsoft Support


Okay, I can’t see the keyboard at all, so I’m relying completely on my typing skills for the first time ever.

See, I never actually learned how to type. I was lucky enough to slip through the system in middle school without taking it. Most of the kids took it sometime in seventh or eighth grade, but by some fluke I managed to get away with taking other, less gruelling classes instead.

Of course, over the years I’ve had to type quite a bit (considering that I use a computer to make my living), but I learned to type on my own, without the use of the standard touch-type method. I started with two index fingers, using the “hunt-and-peck” method, but as I got more and more comfortable with the keyboard and had an instinctive desire to type more quickly, I subconsciously taught myself to type with all my fingers without looking at the keyboard.

Until now I never realized just how well I taught myself. Sure, I’m making plenty of mistakes, but surprisingly few considering my unconventional finger placement. My only big problem is going to be finding the “end” or “delete” keys if I need them. I’m using my laptop, and I still haven’t gotten used to their positions on this keyboard.

For years my father tried to force me to use a typing program, “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing,” to learn to type properly, but I always refused. I argued that I would learn how to type on my own time, when I was good and ready. Apparently I did exactly that. I think Dad would be proud.

10:52 pm Comments Off on Typing


I’m at my grandparents’ house watching “Wheel of Fortune” and playing with my new laptop.

I just finished buying a wedding gift for my uncle and soon-to-be-aunt at crateandbarrel.com… I like the fact that I can do that from my laptop instead of having to use my grandparents’ computer. My new laptop is ultra-cool. It’s bright silver in color (though made of plastic, of course) and it doesn’t have a touchpad. I hate touchpads. I always end up doing weird “mouse pointer olympics” inadvertently with my palms when I’m typing. It’s terribly annoying. So I specifically sought a laptop with an alternative pointing device.

I’m just an alternative guy like that.

The keyboard on the laptop works really well with my hands. It feels very natural. The only thing that’s weird is the “end” key. I apparently use it quite a bit, and it’s in a weird spot on this keyboard, so I have trouble getting it without looking.

Anyway, I think I’m being antisocial by typing instead of visiting with my grandparents. So my laptop will just have to sit in that lonely, dark bag. Sad laptop… I’ll have to bring it out later when I go for coffee with my friends.

8:00 pm , Comments Off on My Alternative Laptop


I keep hearing news stories about the future of the internet, and how someday we’ll all have lightning fast access. We’ll be able to download Internet Explorer at home in three seconds instead of three hours, and the endless time we web developers spend compressing graphics will be available for more important tasks.

I don’t believe a word of it.

People seem to think that a worldwide fiber optic network connecting every single house with a computer will somehow pop up out of nowhere within the next few years. Frankly, the manpower needed to accomplish that would solve unemployment accross the planet and require more money than America’s national deficit.

Of course, I’m making up these figures, but they sound accurate enough to me.

Many designers are making "high-bandwidth" sites – ones that only download in a reasonable amount of time if you are on a direct connection. We who use modems (the majority of internet users) are forced to wait more than our short attention spans can tolerate just to see web pages.

We’re stuck between two philosophies, though. As a designer, I want to express my creativity. I want to create interesting visual experiences and not be oppressed by "bandwidth constraints". At the same time, though, I want to offer fast downloads so my audience won’t be put off.

The idea of a high-speed internet is wonderful. Unfortunately, it’s currently nothing more than an idealistic dream.

12:00 am Comments Off on Broadband


So I’m sitting here at work. I’m supposed to be making a web site for this company. They make valves. I don’t know what kind of valves. I just know they make valves. Of course, they want to include pictures of all their valves, even though most of their customers already know exactly what they need.

They give us these image files, and they’re all in AutoCAD format. AutoCAD is an extremely proprietary 3-D drawing program. Basically no computer program on Earth can read AutoCAD files except–you guessed it–AutoCAD. It’s like a four thousand dollar program, and we do not have it.

The sales department calls the customer and asks them to save it in another format. They do not know how.

Now, if I bought a four thousand dollar program, I’d prob’ly learn how to use it. Heck, I would consider it an honor to read the manual, which must be worth at least three hundred dollars. Of course, I wouldn’t want to get any fingerprints or scratches on it.

The customer asks our sales department to call this other company, who works with them on AutoCAD stuff, to ask about converting the files. I personally call this company. It turns out they are AutoCAD distributors, and they provide free technical support to the valve company. They’ll be happy to show the valve people how to convert their files.

So my boss calls up the customer and asks him to call his own damn technical support and find out how to convert his own damn files. (She didn’t phrase it quite like that, but if I had made the call, I would have.) She tells them to save them as TIFF files, because TIFF is a pretty standard file format, so it should be easy for them.

A couple days later, my boss hands me the new Zip disk from the valve company. I stick it in the network Zip drive, which is located on the other side of the office, because our company is too cheap to spring for more than one Zip drive per department.

The files are there. They’re all in TIFF format. And they’re the crappiest images I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what kind of options were given to these people when they saved the files, but they chose all the wrong ones. The images are schematics for valves. None of the text there is readable (because it’s about four points and not anti-aliased, for those of you who work with graphics), the images are way too small to see clearly, and on top of that, the files contain an incredible amount of white space, and they take up far more disk space than I can account for.

I know these people have no clue what they’re doing, so I can’t really blame them for giving us such bad images to work with. However, I have two complaints…

First, I know that when we get these images up on their web site, they are going to be very unhappy with the image quality and actually blame us for it, when we’re just using exactly what they provided. True that we didn’t have AutoCAD, which made an inconvenient situation, but we’re a web development company, not a 3-D graphics company.

Second, why did they spend four thousand dollars on a computer program and then never learn how to use it? For that kind of an investment, I would at least read the manual, and I’d prob’ly spend another fifty bucks and take a workshop or hire someone to teach me how to use it. Even if I didn’t do that, I would certainly take advantage of the fact that I have free technical support from my AutoCAD provider, instead of trying to get my web development company to call them for me.

Maybe I’m just upset because for the money they spent on a program they don’t understand, I could have bought myself that previously owned Volkswagon Jetta I’ve been coveting.

12:00 am Comments Off on RTFM


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